Consensus 2015 Makeathon

Our Team built a blockchain application on Tierion, the bridge to the blockchain and the only way to embed data into the blockchain at scale and receive a verifiable record of the embedded data. This application was a Claims Data process application for USAA. We successfully were able to create an Android mobile application that collects claims data and embeds the claim data into the bitcoin blockchain. A receipt is then sent to the customer and to USAA creating an auditable, timestamped trail throughout the Claims Process. We then created an integration via Zapier which then adds a new row into a Google Sheet every time a claim is made. The workflow enables Call Center users to work in excel and have data recorded back into the blockchain. For example, if the status of the claim is updated, the approval is then recorded into the blockchain and a receipt is sent to the customer. This provides a verifiable proof which can be resorted to in the case of a dispute, a transfer of insurance coverage providers, removing siloed centralized record bases, and reducing fraudulent claims and ultimately costs to the provider. This type of blockchain application built on Tierion could be the foundation for an unlimited number of industry agnostic blockchain applications eg. mortgage, financial services. I can only imagine what else will be built on this new and exciting platform.
Overall, the Makeathon had brought together a very diverse group of participants, mentors, and attendees from around the world and the Bitcoin / Blockchain community. The makeathon was held at General Assembly’s space in the Flatiron District of Manhattan, a very excellent working environment.

The three biggest themes that I believe were resonating throughout the teams:

1) Reputation is the new currency: How do you establish credit in a third-world country? How do you aggregate a reputation basis? How do you determine who can verify it? Can the blockchain be the answer to microlend, loan, fund, aid, someone you do not know you can trust? Can you embed reputation on the bitcoin blockchain or do you need to use a different tokenized asset? If so how do you distribute this token? Can you thether social network identity to decentralized blockchain identity database?

Whatever the answer, one thing is for certain: International Micro-Credit, Loans, Reputation Services, Identity; using Blockchain technology as the medium of record is being looked at closely.
2) How are you going to embedd data into the Blockchain: The Bitcoin blockchain can only have support a small amount of data being embedded into it each write. In addition each transaction cost you a micropayment but still if you are trying to embed data into the blokchain say for your entire business process, how can you create a scalable model that does not flood or spam the blockchain, is economical, and is effective?

MerkleRoot-As-A-Service
3) Ethereum/Blockchain applications are on the way: half of the teams at the makeathon built on top of ethereum or using tools built on ethereum such as BlockApps.net. It is still very very early in these stages with Ethereum frontier being released only a few weeks ago but the platform was in high use this weekend for decentralized governance applications, aid funds, and a few other distributed consensus applications. Definitely going to be buying some more Ether.
I believe that these themes reflect that we can use the technology to model/predict outcomes, streamline processes across verticals, and given that the rules are in place automate any point in the process based on distributed consensus met/unmet inputs. This could be real-time triple entry accounting ledger, trust and verification that the funds you sent for disaster relief were indeed used properly by the company, that your Submitted Insurance Claim vehicle was indeed a recorded, processed, and approved.
I want to give a shoutout to Coindesk for doing an amazing job with the space, the food, the atmosphere and overall organizing and kicking-off this event from the beginning with the Slack group. I think they have created a great model for a top notch event where new ideas can be developed and shared and people can network about technology they are passionate about. Although I was not able to be on stage today, I was ecstatic for the team to get up there and show off what we built. It was a great experience that I am very thankful to have been selected to and to have been a part of the team that won.
Here were some of the project overrviews from the Makeathon: